Fish-Filleting Machine

a machine for filleting fish. Used on fishing vessels and in fish-processing plants, fish-filleting machines cut off the fish’s head, open the ventral cavity and remove the internal organs, and cut out the backbone and ribs. They include complex multioperation machines specialized to process certain species of fish and simpler single-operation devices that can be used to process various species. There are linear and rotary machines; the latter have rotating cutting disks or oscillating blades. Some machines automatically readjust the cutting parts in accordance with the length of the fish. Soviet-made machines for filleting fish 200–500 mm in length (walleye pollack, Atlantic cod, Pacific saury, halibut) can process as many as 80 fish per minute.